One of the most beautifully written and performed songs is I'm Movin' On by Rascal Flatts. I am not sure why, but that song is speaking to me tonight.
Hmmm...
I am so behind on my writing...don't worry I will go and finish my daily February posts (I have some good ones jotted down.), but I have had more pressing responsibilities as of late.
Tonight is my first night in bed before 1:30 a.m. in a week, and I am not sure what to do with myself. I am exhausted, but restless. My mind and fingers want to write, and my body wants sleep...desperately. :)
In spending a lot of time with Uncle Odale this last two weeks I have been reminded of the value of one's life. It has also been a wake-up call on how fleeting life can be...91 years can pass in an instance. Sitting in that hospital room, I have had lots of time to ask questions, hear stories, and learn. I have learned things about Uncle Odale I never knew, and some have made me laugh...others gasp in shock. That is the thing about living to 91 and being very sick...you get less concerned about shocking people (I guess.). He IS a corker. :)
Last night I half sat/half laid in the hospital bed with him, as he rested, I examined his hands. It is funny because I have spent a lot of time this past two weeks holding his hands, but last night I simply looked at them. Suddenly I took out my phone and started photographing them. They were beautiful. They are beautiful.
The stories just his hands could tell...wood chopped, houses built, gardens planted, cars driven, hands held, praying, loving, living....
The life in his hands...the life left in him....is a testament to a great man, and a great man who has lived his life well. Late last night he looked at me and said, "I guess I am about done." to which I replied, "Hardly." He then cracked a smile with that devilish smirk he has and whispered..."Maybe not." He wants to still be wanted; he needs to still be needed. These are the lessons he is teaching me...even now.
The lessons of this life are all around us...if we only keep our eyes, minds, and hearts open to receive them.
The funny thing (and not ha ha) is that it is not Uncle Odale who is moving on in this post, but me. I find myself changing by the day, if not the hour, as of late. The journey I have been on these last few years is equally thrilling and terrifying for me. *Sigh*
I wish. I want. I need.
I have. I am. I will.
"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of our exploring, will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time." ~ T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
I'm moving on...
I saw this today and thought what a wonderful testament...“Andrew passed away unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight this morning in Los Angeles,” the post said. “We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior. Andrew lived boldly, so that we more timid souls would dare to live freely and fully, and fight for the fragile liberty he showed us how to love.”
I want to live boldly so that more timid souls will dare to live freely and fully. I want to be brave. I want to show others how to love by how I love others.
I'm moving on...at last I can see...life has been patiently waiting for me...no guarantees...I'm not alone...
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." ~ Helen Keller
Sunshine Dreams to You ~ Today and Every Day! :)
